Cases of violence and abuse of older people increased during the Covid-19 lockdown in Kenya, a group that works among the elderly says.
The abuse comprised physical, psychological and financial forms and neglect.
HelpAge International says the pandemic exposed how ageism is ingrained in the Kenyan society.
The organisation says the pandemic was labelled a disease of the old who were then excluded from income generating activities.
Jude Otogo, a health advisor at the the organisation, said such discrimination has devastating physical and mental health consequences for older people and can even lead to death.
“We have seen discriminatory age-based policies and older people being stereotyped as frail, vulnerable and unable to decide for themselves. In addition, some Covid-19 measures have been unfair on those of older age and have discriminated against them,” he noted.
The stay-at-home advisory, likely to last longer for older people, is likely to exacerbate social isolation and other factors which put older people at particular risk of violence.
However, speaking in Nairobi at the launch of the Report on the Baseline Survey on the Impact of the Inua Jamii 70+ Cash Transfer Programme, Helpage regional director Carole Ageng’o commended the government’s response to Covid-19.
“I laud the government for its continued support to older people, particularly with the cash transfer in May through the Inua Jamii 70+ cash transfer programme at the height of the lockdown meant to curb the spread of Covid-19,” she said.
Ageng’o ,however, noted that the disbursement was a one-off affair in May, yet older people needed to see more consistent support in the face of reduced assistance from other sources including families, businesses and well-wishers due to the pandemic.
The baseline survey, the subject of the report, was conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic that placed older women and men in Kenya, like their counterparts around the world, at higher risk of infection by the coronavirus.
The survey was conducted by the government and partners including HelpAge International, Unicef, the World Food Programme and the International Labour Organization.
It was conducted in 12 randomly selected locations in Bungoma, Murang'a and Turkana counties between March and April .
It assessed the impact of the universal pension scheme on people above 70 years, which began in 2018.
Kenya has since 2018 funded and implemented the Inua Jamii 70+ Cash Transfer Programme, a pension for all Kenyans aged 70 and over who are not in receipt of a civil service or social security pension.
The goal of the Inua Jamii programme is to eradicate poverty among the aged and improve the welfare of poor and vulnerable older Kenyans.
Recipients get Sh2,000 monthly, which is paid once every two months.
In 2020, the programme reached around 833,000 older people.
It is implemented by the Social Assistance Unit of the State Department of Social Protection within the Ministry of Labour.
Edited by Henry Makori